Corruption
by Star Mint
Summary: Corruption is back and up again! Chapter Four: Step into Victoria, Newcomer.
1. The End

Corruption

Authors note: Hey there, this is my first fan fiction so I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't the game MapleStory, it belongs to Nexon. Actually, most of this stuff belongs to Nexon.

Rain pelted down on a bowman's back as she breathed heavily under so much pressure. The sky was now a hue of grays and blacks as the lonely girl kept running on the wet, green grass. The bowman's yellow t-shirt and blue skirt were soaked inside out. Her blue boots were making strange noises. It was always sunny in Ereve, but today was one of those horrific days when something ominous happens.

Grazing her black ponytail, the bowman felt the plucked sunflower still attached to her hair band. Gripping her minute blue bow tightly, she began to run towards a wooden ship a far distance away. The calm voice of Oz drifted around her mind, 'Whatever you do, don't look back. Just keep running toward the port and you'll be safe…' The bowman warily looked behind her as tears began to burn her eyes. 'Bridget…I suggest you get out of here…NOW!', Eckhart's panicked tone bursts into Bridget's ears. Lightning then struck behind the 12-year old. She suddenly froze, couldn't move her legs, and begun to breathe harder. 'Student of the wind, you mustn't be afraid of nature, you must embrace it', Irena whispers repeat in Bridget's mind. The unfortunate bowman knew it was too late to keep running toward the ship as the traitor would soon have killed her right on the spot. Slowly turning around, Bridget spotted the ginger-haired man raising his glove up in the corner of her eye.

The ginger-haired man charged lightning into his raised glove and smirked, "Kid, why don't you join the party? It's a shock that you wouldn't come." 'You know that man over there; you should give your greetings to him. He's a very honest man', Mihile's consolation during Bridget's childhood is brought up again in her head.

"W-what do you w-want Hawkeye?!", Bridget stammered out as the rain suddenly started raining harder than ever. 'Hey kid, I got this flower for you. What? You don't like it? Well then, I should just give this to Oz. Ok, ok I'll give it to you then!', Hawkeye's laughter rings again and again. 'But that was all in the past', Bridget glowered. The bowman gently brushed the sunflower. She was barely holding back her tears as her hazel eyes glared through the rain. Bridget only saw a blur of orange and yellow. "The Cygnus Knights and I were just playing a game of predator vs. prey", Hawkeye's voice boomed through the sound of thunder in the distance, "I'm the predator, and you're the last prey left!" Bridget's legs immediately started to feel like lead. She staggered and fell toward a nearby tree. Bridget began to choke on her own tears.

Hawkeye flicked his pirate hat out of his face as the predator looked into Bridget's eyes. The glove on Hawkeye's right hand was glowing with lighting as he pulled his right arm behind him curling his hand into a fist.

"Good-bye, prey."


	2. The Twist

Corruption

Author's note: Hi there again readers! I know there were some mistakes in the first chapter, and I still didn't fix them….anyways have fun reading the installment of chapter two!

Disclaimer: I don't own the game Maplestory or Nexon.

(In the eastern part of Kerning City)

"Stop that thief! She took my bag of coins!", Shumi cried out while people stared at her wondering why she didn't just stand up and run after the thief. Shumi was still in the same spot, sitting right in front of the blue Kerning Train Station.

The sky was the typical color of grey and the air always cold, in Kerning. "I'll get that thief", a random passerby with shaggy brunette hair, baby blue eyes, and mage robes said. The ice/lightning wizard then proceeded to chase after the thief on solid cement. It was easy to spot her even a mile away since she had bright red hair and a sack of coins over her shoulder. The wizard noticed he didn't have to worry about hitting the crowd since they all were being pushed out of the way by the thief. The wizard pulled out his wand, which was in his pocket, and muttered incantations while running. The wand then glowed a bright blue light, which turned into ice.

"ICE BEAM!", the brunette yelled out as he swung his wand downwards. At the last second, the thief turned around revealing dark red eyes, winked at him, then disappeared into thin air as the ice only froze over the cement ground. "Stupid dark sight….", the wizard sighed as he solemnly walked away from the area as the Government of Maple operatives arrived. One of the operatives has half of his face covered with emerald hair. The operative was dressed in black agent clothes with black boots; he had a crimson red dagger hanging around his waist. His sharp grey eyes looked for clues of the thief's location while his partner was walking towards the wizard. The partner, named Terry, had the same black outfit as his ally. Wearing a white beanie over his flaming orange hair, the green-eyed agent walked over to the wizard.

"Hey Toni, how's it been? I see you're still chasing after girls", Terry put his arm around the wizard who looked stunned. "My names not Toni….", the wizard explained, shrugging the agent's arm off of himself. Terry then just smiled a mischievous smile and replied, "Aw, don't be like that Toni. I'll treat you to some Maple Floats down at the Jazz Bar and you tell me what the girl looked like."

The wizard frowned, his baby blue eyes glaring at the stranger right next to him, "I said my name's not Toni. It's-"

KABOOM

The sound was heard all over the city as pedestrians were looking around to see who or what made the noise. People in buildings immediately shut their windows, afraid the explosion came from a terrorist. A pirate tilted her head up and stated, "Look, I think I see a meteor!"

It wasn't long before people were stating their opinions on what was in the sky.

"It's a bird!"

"It's a plane!"

"NO YOU IDIOTS, IT'S EREVE ON FIRE!"

People then started panicking, either running to the nearest building or rushing toward the train station. If you looked at a bird's eye view, you would see a whole mob of Explorers or Cygnus Knights running in the same direction while two blobs were just standing still. They were the two agents. The ginger-haired operative teleported away to the Kerning Hospital. The grey-eyed bandit followed suit, using dark sight to avoid the crowds. "Whew, never knew that tracking down an infamous thief would lead to crowd control right, Skyler?", Terry asked the bandit, who was leaning against a wall. Skyler stared at Terry before falling on his knees and coughing vigorously. The ice mage kneeled down and put Skyler's right arm around his shoulder then stood up to support Skyler.

"We better get to Head Quarters quick", Terry glanced at Skyler with sadness, "I still can't believe the Old Man let you become a bandit after he found out about your sickness." Skyler's eyes were closed, but Terry could still hear his partner, and best friend, breathing.

"Bathirito's Curse", Skyler whispered, "A rare disease which can kill a human, but it's a common cold for Elves'…"

"So I should be glad you're half Elf, half human, right?", Terry grinned. Skyler started having a coughing fit and pressed a button on his shirt. Blue Mana surrounded the duo and they were gone in a flash.

(In Ereve)

Bridget closed her eyes as a bright yellow light blinded her. 'Maybe this is how people die….', the bowman thought to herself. Bridget heard a crack and then an explosion as she was thrown right towards the port.

"Ouch, never knew Upper Orbis hurt this much…", Bridget opened her hazel eyes to find she was still on Ereve. The bowman immediately stood up, first checking to see if she was actually alive. Bridget pinched herself, letting out another "Ouch!"

"But how?", Bridget asked. She was extremely shocked. When she saw the tree she was leaning on a minute ago now fallen to the ground with signs of scorching bite marks, she was stunned even more.

"Kid, get out of this place. Children like you shouldn't have seen this….", Hawkeye stared at her. The rain stopped but the clouds were still black.

"But what about the others-"

"Go! Get on the ship, and go!"

"Why are you letting me go?"

"…..You remind me of my daughter"

"You had a daughter Hawkeye?"

"Kid, I'm not Hawkeye"

Bridget's face looked as it was slapped by a Lorang, "B-but you're standing right there-"

"GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE THE BLACK MAGICIAN COMES!", the Hawkeye imposter grabbed Bridget by the waist and threw her onto the ship. He pressed a few buttons on the ship and the engines roared to life. The ship was already a far distance from Ereve.

"Where's the real Hawkeye then!?", Bridget tried getting the imposter's attention but the wind was too strong for anybody to hear Bridget's message. 'Hawkeye' only stared at her.

"Goodbye, Hailey", the imposter muttered out.

END

Author's note: Ok, for some clarification's

Bathirito's Curse- It's not real. Just something I just made up in my head.

Upper Orbis- A Maplestory version or Heaven, I guess o.0


	3. The Memories

Corruption

Chapter Three: The Memories

Author's Note: It's me again. I was in a writer's block just thinking of another chapter to write about! So I decided to do a little background knowledge of the Cygnus Knights and the relationship between each of them. But I can't keep my loyal readers from reading the installment of chapter three. Enjoy and please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own the game Maplestory. I don't own Nexon either.

-

(Midnight)

Bridget yawned, putting her blue bow aside as the boat was propelling toward who-knows-where. The wind was causing goose bumps all over Bridget's shivering arms and blowing her side ponytail in her face. The Wind Archer was leaning against the right side of the boat with her hazel eyes half closed. Bridget didn't bother to look down as she knew there were just white, fluffy clouds. Instead, the 12-year old tilted her had up to the dark, calm sky. Stars were twinkling from a far distance. The moon was pure white and crescent-shaped. Bridget then yawned again, this time shoving her left hand into her skirt pocket, pulling out a white, squishy, oval-shaped ball. She began squeezing it gently repeating the same process for about 2 minutes. The Archer closed her eyes, trying to push away the fact that her home-town was no more. Deep in her thoughts, Bridget had memories flood into her head like pigs rushing toward a food stand.

(Flashback)

_The sun was shining on my face, giving a warm feeling on my skin. I took off my blue boots, setting them on the edge of the crystal clear lake. I carefully placed my right foot into the water, checking if the water was cold or not. Realizing it was luke-warm, I treaded further to the middle of the lake, the water reaching my ankles. Not having a care in the world, I went even deeper, the water now up to my knees. Grinning, I began to splash water in a random direction. Then I giggled. I pretended to splash invisible people. A purple butterfly flew above my head. Curious, I chased after it. No later than 10 seconds, I tripped on a rock, falling on my left side. The water cushioned my fall. I stood up again shaking the remaining water off of me. By the time I was finished twisting water out of my jet black hair, the butterfly was heading toward a certain orange haired 26-year old man. The Thunder Breaker glanced over my way._

"_Hey Kid!", Hawkeye waved toward me. I stared at the purple butterfly making it comfortable on Hawkeye's blue Captain Hat. Then slowly, I sneaked toward Hawkeye. He was giving me the I-want-to-know-what-you're-up-to-but-I'd-rather-not-ask look. When I was close enough, I jumped up and down, attempting to catch the butterfly. Fortunately, it still sat on Hawkeye's hat. Hawkeye placed his right brown gloved hand on my forehead causing me to stop in my tracks. _

"_If you're trying to get my hat", Hawkeye used his left hand and jabbed his thumb to his hat, "You'll have to be a LOT taller Kid."_

_By now, I was frustrated, glaring at the butterfly. I thought if I telepathically told the butterfly to come to me, it would. It did the opposite effect and the purple butterfly flew off of Hawkeye's hat._

"_T-the but-mer-fry.", I pointed to the escaping butterfly who was now behind Hawkeye._

_Hawkeye cocked an eyebrow, "Butmerfry? You mean butterfly? What about it?"_

"_Behind you", was all I could say. Hawkeye did what I said and shouted in surprise as the purple butterfly was inches away from his face. I was released from his grasp and began to chase after it again. Hawkeye just smirked and chased after the butterfly with me. We, the mischievous duo, ran from glistened green grass to white marble bricks embedded into the ground. I felt my clothes starting to dry in the sun. I noticed Oz walking by_ _with her Phoenix Wand. When she saw Hawkeye and me chasing the butterfly down, the Blaze Wizard dropped her staff and started sputtering out things about cruelty to animals._

"_B-b-butterfly harassment!", Oz stammered. I stopped running, catching my breath. Hawkeye stopped too, confused at what Oz said. Oz then ran in a random direction, forgetting her Phoenix Wand and yelling out "ANIMAL CRUELTY, OH WHY ANIMAL CRUELTY?!"_

"_What's he-ross-mint?", I asked. Hawkeye scratched his head, "Herossmint? You mean harassment? Well it's um, gee, I don't know how to say it." Hawkeye's black eyes seemed to dull for a second, then they brightened up again. _

"_I know! Let's go ask Mihile and Eckhart! They're the definition freaks on Ereve!", Hawkeye exclaimed. Without warning, he kneeled down, "You want a piggy-back ride?"_

_My eyes full of excitement, I hurriedly crawled on Hawkeye's back._

"_Here we go!", Hawkeye jogged and I held tightly onto his blue ragged cape. The white marble began disappearing as grass took over the forest side. Hawkeye skidded to a halt in front of the highest tree in Ereve. Next to it was Mihile sitting on a white chair sipping tea from a china cup. Once Mihile noticed us, he placed his cup on the white table, his white armor glowing in the sun's rays. _

"_Is there something I can help you with, Hawkeye and Bridget?", Mihile asked, crossing his legs together._

"_We sure do! Please explain harassment to the Kid here.", Hawkeye poked my cheek._

"_To__ disturb persistently; torment, as with troubles or cares; bother continually; pester; persecute.", A gruff voice was heard from above. Eckhart was sitting on one of the branches, holding a cup of tea in his hands._

"_Er, I have NOOO idea what you just said, but OK!", Hawkeye gave Eckhart a thumbs up and grinning, dropping me in the process. My howl in pain was interrupted by screaming Oz as she was teleporting everywhere, frantically searching for her misplaced Phoenix Wand. _

"_Isn't it at…", I started, remembering where the forgetful Blaze Wizard had put it. When I looked up, I found out that Eckhart had the Phoenix Wand, twirling it in his hands while STILL able to carry his cup. The Night Walker tossed it to her, Oz clumsily catching it in time. She smiled at Eckhart with beaming green eyes._

_Oz squealed, "THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANK-"_

"_I get it", Eckhart flushed as he reverted back to gulping down the tea which was quite cold by now._

"_ECKY!", Oz yelled again, giving Mihile, Hawkeye, and me a heart attack. Eckhart glared down at the Blaze Wizard in annoyance. She didn't seem to notice._

"_Come down here and give me a GREAT big hug!", Oz hollered. Immediately Eckhart spit out the tea he was drinking, Hawkeye gave off a big fat smirk, Mihile silently pulled out a red ancient book from his armor and began to read through it. I was getting irritated at some point, not understanding why Hawkeye was smiling, his eyes shining with encouragement, and Eckhart looking a tomato red. Plus the fact that nobody helped me up!_

"…_I-I'd rather not", Eckhart mumbled more to himself than to Oz. Hawkeye chuckling, helped me up and led me out of the forest area. _

_By the end of the day, Hawkeye and I didn't catch the purple butterfly; Eckhart was a shade of red, head low as Oz was pestering him for a hug. _

"_Hawkeye, where'd the butterfwee go?", I stared into the orange sky, hoping for the butterfly to come back._

_Hawkeye smiled, "It went bye-bye."_

_I sighed, my dreams for catching a butterfly were shattered into a million pieces as I looked down on the ground, blaming it for my failure. Seeing me looking sad, Hawkeye turned his back toward me and took a weird white thing out. I tried to peek at what it was, but the Thunder Breaker just kept turning the opposite direction. By the time I gave up, Hawkeye finally turned to me, showing a replica of the purple butterfly we were chasing._

"_It's so…so", I gasped in awe._

"_Yeah, since you couldn't catch a real butterfly, I decided you could at least catch a clay version.", Hawkeye grinned, showing of his blindingly white teeth._

"_For..for me?"_

"_Yep Kiddo, all yours. You can even make it into something else", Hawkeye poked his tongue out, concentrating on the white clay. From a butterfly to a demented ball to an oval, Hawkeye revealed the clay now a mini version me. Cautiously, I cupped the sculpture of me in my hands._

_Hawkeye patted my shoulder, "Try it out Kid. See what you can make."_

_Slowly with grace, I squished the mini me in my peach colored hands. For 30 seconds, I worked at the clay. When I showed it to Hawkeye, he cocked and eyebrow._

"_Kid, what is it?", He asked boldly._

"_It's you!", I giggled. Hawkeye took the clay and stared at the horribly disfigured version of himself, realizing that the clay part sticking out from the side could be his arm. I laughed even more as he tried to not laugh himself._

(End of flashback)

Bridget slowly opened her eyes, sighing. The white clay was still in her hands, but now it was a stick-like figure with her hand imprinted in the clay. The Wind Archer decided to sleep as her body was growing increasingly cold. Yawning once again, Bridget placed the clay into her pocket.

"Where ever you are, please by safe, Hawkeye."

-


	4. Step into Victoria, Newcomer

Corruption

Chapter Four: Step into Victoria, Newcomer

Author's Note: Yikes, it's been a long time since I read over this. The update for Corruption has officially started! This is a renewed chapter for Corruption.

Disclaimer: I do not own Nexon or its contents.

-Sky: Ereve Boat-

Bridget woke up to the sun shining brightly on her face. She squinted directly at the sun while using her hand to cover her face. Hazel eyes moved out of the sun's sight as the Wind Archer slowly stood up and stretched. The warm wind grazed her sides. Cautiously, Bridget walked over to the front of the air ship, climbing up a flight of wooden stairs. The tip of the ship was pointing to a green diamond-shaped blob the size of Bridget's hand. It floating landmass was getting closer as the ship propelled onward. Bridget suddenly realized this will be the first time she stepped foot onto a foreign island, not knowing who everybody is. The truth was the Archer never even went outside of Ereve before! Shivering, not from the cold-hearted wind, Bridget skipped the stair of steps by two to reach the lower leveled deck. As she placed her boots on, the Wind Archer's stomach emitted a fierce growl.

-Ellinia: Station-

Five minutes later after gobbling down fresh apples, Bridget heard a sound of horns coming from below. Instinctively, Bridget grabbed her blue bow. She stared down at a crowd of Cygnus Knights impatiently waiting for her to get off the wooden air ship. The Wind Archer opened the door on the middle of the ship to find a steel set of stairs waiting in front of her. Bridget climbed down it and began to let the mob go through but finally realized what happened to Ereve. She stopped at the foot of the stairs, blocking them from getting to the ship.

"Please get off the stairs, I need my job advancement," a Blaze Wizard in the front of the crowd pouted.

"Aw geez it's a noob," a white armored Dawn Warrior muttered while another Dawn Warrior with pink armor nodded and crossed her arms.

"HEY YOU BETTER GET YOUR BUM OUTTA HERE 'FORE I KICK IT OUT!", a drunken Wind Archer hiccupped. Soon shouts of basically everything came from every person in the mob.

Bridget bit her bottom lip, unsure of what do to. She didn't to make them mad, but at the same time she also didn't want them to see the ruins of what used to be Ereve. The beginner Wind Archer scanned the angry crowd. She noticed a person in a black cape and hood, pointing an arrow at the ship. Bridget stepped forward, getting a more precise look. Her foot caught on the edge of the stair as she tripped down the stairs and onto the hard wooden deck. Simultaneously, the person in the black armor fired the sharp arrow. A bomb was strapped onto the arrow. The bomb arrow collided with the ship as everyone at the station watched in horror. Bridget looked up in time to witness the Ereve boat exploding in a brilliant hue of red. Cygnus Knights and many more classes ran from the scene, some attempting to put the blazing fire out.

_I have to help them put out the fire Bridget_ thought, scrambling onto her feet to find any source of water. She saw the black cloaked person again, silently slipping in and out of the crazed frenzy.

…_Or I can make the person who started this put out the fire_ she grinned, thinking of her idea as the best solution. The young girl pushed through the unrelenting crowd, apologizing to the occasional person who scolded at her. It was difficult pinpointing the cloaked person since he seemed to blend in so well. She finally located the person ducking into a blue portal. The girl followed suit. Bridget rushed into the portal, feeling a tingly sensation course through her body. She popped out of the portal, suddenly feeling numb and queasy. Bridget fought back the tiredness as she kept pursuing the person.

"Stop you…you mean person!" Bridget shouted at the person, "You have to put out the fire you started right now!"

The mysterious person abruptly spun around, eyes widening. The Wind Archer smirked to herself. It was immediately wiped off though as she realized the person was a boy, a really young boy. He wore a pair of thick framed glasses. She noted that the golden bow looked as it could topple the boy over. Bridget stared at the boy in a trance, unable to turn away from his big emerald eyes. Unfortunately, the trip through the portal cost her body a lot of energy. Bridget was helpless as her body turned into a rock and fell forward to the ground. Before the Wind Archer's hazel eyes closed completely closed, she felt feeble arms attempting to soften her fall.

-Heneseys: Athena's headquarters-

_Lightning struck a part of Ereve as I opened my eyes. Big mistake. I found myself on the ground of Ereve, but everything was practically deprived of its past holiness. Statues lay in rubble, the grass was burnt, and the ground was splattered with dry blood. Piles of corpses lay to rot while a magician clad in black stands in the middle of it all. I realize I recognize him before in my distant memory. The man pivots himself to me, a sinister smile plastered on his gray face._

'_The Black Magician,' I instantly say out loud. The Black Magician cackles, eyes flashing in malice._

'_Not The Black Magician, silly child. But rather…' The Black Magician's harsh whisper repeats over and over again. Something inside me is screaming at me, telling me not to listen. Everything gets warped and twisted, the image of a hopeless town burning in my mind._

Bridget bolts up from the bed, breathing hard and quickly. She halted for a moment, looking at the bed she was on. It was layered with many white sheets. Also the bed was wedged in a corner of the room. The Wind Archer whacked her brain, trying to recall the elusive dream. With no success, Bridget decided to absorb the room décor. It was a small room adorned with wooden floors and walls. A window was accurately placed on Bridget's right side, letting the person see the town. There were no pieces of furniture besides the bed.

A knock came from the door. Bridget craned her neck as the boy she saw earlier stepping through the door. The boy yelped as he noticed Bridget staring at him. In a further investigation, the boy looked to be about 14 with shaggy blond hair and the same puppy eyes.

"Y-you're the boy I saw earlier-", Bridget stopped midway. She frowned, causing the boy to gulp.

"Wait a second, did you put out the fire yet?" she asked the boy seriously. He shuffled in his green armor. The boy was holding a box of clothes that looked exactly like Bridget's…

The Wind Archer instinctively smacked a hand on her hair. She felt around her black strands of hair, realizing her sunflower was missing. Bridget pushed off the blankets. Instead of wearing her yellow shirt and blue skirt, she had on a purple dotted dress. The boy flushed, stumbling over his words. The box clanged on the wooden floor. He awkwardly excused himself before running out of the room, slamming the door shut. Bridget gazed at the door, questioning the events that happened right before her eyes. The box was tilted over, revealing all the items Bridget had with her.

After figuring out how to take off the dress, Bridget changed back into her regular clothes. She happily slid the sunflower back into her hair. Another knock came on the door. The girl expected the boy to come back. Rather, a tall woman in brown and green armor came through the door.

"Greetings young child, I am Athena Pierce, Archer Instructor of Heneseys. I truly apologize for the behavior of my student-"

"Did he put out the fire yet?", Bridget asked again politely, hoping the tall lady would answer her question.

Athena pursed her lips, "That's a very delicate question. And I'm afraid to say that Lyden didn't"

The news sunk in to Bridget, "W-wait, that means nobody c-can get to Ereve-"

She cut herself off, remembering the second time that Ereve was in a chaotic state.

"Exactly young child, if any more people were to find Ereve in ruins that would cause a panic in Victoria," Athena rubbed her temples, imagining the people of Heneseys running in circles.

"This is Victoria?" Bridget asked. She heard many stories about it from Hawkeye, mostly about Kerning City. Athena nodded.

"Sorry for asking so many questions, but how did you know about Ereve so quickly," the Wind Archer calculated. If you sent a letter to Victoria from Ereve, it would take approximately 2-3 days depending on the weather. And then another 2-3 days to send the letter back.

The Archer Instructor chuckled dryly, "Have you heard of a telephone?"

Bridget shook her head. Athena deadpanned.

"What about a television?"

The Wind Archer shook her head again, wondering how this was related to her question.

"Do you know about a computer, a light bulb, an electric pole?"

By the time Athena was burying her head in her hands, Bridget had discovered over 50 new words!

"This," Athena concluded, "Might take a while to explain."


End file.
